The funds have finally been rolled over from my old 403B to my IRA. I just checked my on line brokerage account, and instead of a bunch of 0's, the account ballence was $14,100 and change. This is no longer an intellectual exercise. I have to decide what to do with this money to maximise my return. I've recently finished reading YOU HAVE MORE THAN YOU THINK, and I'm half way through THE MOTLEY FOOL INVESTMENT GUIDE. Tomorrow I'm going to order the Rule Maker/Breaker book. I'm about to embark on aroad I've never traveled, fiscal responsibility.I find this concept a bit scarey, even though in the past I thought nothing of going to a casino and throwing away $1000 tax refund in the hopes of hitting the big one. Now I realize what an irresponsible idiot I've been over the thirty years of my adult life and that it's time to take the first step in a new direction. I'll probably go with the Foolish Four, but the shakeup in the DOW recently has me a bit confused. A small voice says wait till the Y2K smoke clears. Another voice says never mind Y2k. Over the long haul it won't matter.Still another voice says try a rule breakerportfolio, you're old (51) and don't have 25 30 years to invest. (Perhaps If I increase the medication, the voices will go away) But I have to do something with this tax deferredaccount so that I can go back to the business of paying off the plastic debt. I want to be able to provide my wife and myself a retirement that doesn't include cat food as a staple in our diet. This is no longer theoretical and I don't mind admitting that I'm more than a bit nervous.I realize that It is ultumately UP TO ME, but I sure wouldn't mind some Foolish council.

Congratulations! I'm sure the butterflies will disappear when you actually start making some investments. Remember it won't always be an up hill ride. You'll have to go through some downturns.

I'm glad to see you've done so much reading! You're on your way to intellegent Foolish investing.

If you want to start with the foolish four you could wait until mid December. I doubt that anything will look much better then (there's always all these negatives the press & analysts talk about). The book, "The Foolish Four" suggests that the best time to start is in mid December to the first of January. This starting period historically has given the best returns. If you start now you should hold the stocks until Mid December 2000.

Hmm, real money huh? It does make things more interesting. Still, TMF's program is a good way to get your feet wet. In the order of increasing risk:

1) Vanguard's VFINX: A good place to put some of your money, especially while you're getting your feet wet. Long history of beating most mutual funds.

2) Foolish Four (RP4 or otherwise). Another good vehicle for building a solid base of investments. Particularly good in IRA's. Despite all controversy, is based on a system that has actually beaten the S&P500 by a bit since being proposed in the early '90s.

3) Long Term Buy and Hold--Rule Makers. How can you go wrong? Buy six or eight great companies and just hold on. Lots of advice about selection available right here on the Fool.

4) Foolish Workshop--PEG5 or other models. I especially like PEG5 and other models that select their candidates from Value Line's Timeliness Rankings of 1 and 2. VL has a multi-decade track record of beating the market. These are truly exciting go-go momentum growth stocks. Also lots of support here at TMF.

Personally, I keep about half my money in S&P500 index funds and split the rest between Foolish Four and PEG5 stocks. Gradually, as some of my 401k and deferred compensation money becomes available, I will put more into FF and PEG selections. I also hold a rule maker or two. But then, I'm an old f*rt; I used to invest most of my money in Value Line Timeliness 1 stocks almost exclusively. It was good, but as I approach retierment, I no longer want quite so much volatility.

What are the differences, in light of the recentDOW change, of doing the RP4 on the S&P verses the DOW? And has anyone been doing an S&P RP4long enough to se if the returns mirror the Dow set. The prices per share are quire a bit lower which would allow for more shares per ammount of money invested in the 2,2,3,4,5. wouldnt this effect the dividend return, or is the dividend more of a marker to choose the stock,rather than a significant factor in the investment return?

sounds to me like you have the basics figured out:gotta do Something,GOTTA do something about the debt,Your decision...

i started just a bit younger (49, 5yrs ago) that you,so i think i understand the impatience and the nervous.

...good advice from g.Wulff--Hard to go wrong with an index fund.--F4 (check out the 'Dow Investing' Board) *can* causemore heartburn than it's worth.--other Workshop screens --so many they confuse *me*,but keep them in mind.--Rule Maker/Breaker(s). Personally, i've had a lotof success with such.

i don't like to give actual advice but... were i startingnow, knowing what i've learnt in 5yrs: i'd put a big chunk in an index fund to anchor the port, then pick1-4 RM/Bs that i think i know and like (either fromfundamental analysis or cuz i do a lot of business with them)... then keep studying and learning.

What are the differences, in light of the recent DOW change, of doing the RP4 on the S&P verses the DOW? And has anyone been doing an S&P RP4 long enough to se if the returns mirror the Dow set. The prices per share are quire a bit lower which would allow for more shares per ammount of money invested in the 2,2,3,4,5. wouldnt this effect the dividend return, or is the dividend more of a marker to choose the stock, rather than a significant factor in the investment return?

tsk tsk.... back to School for you..

22345 is passé.

yes dividends are a significant part of the return(my F4, over 9months is up 7% w/o dividends, 11+% with)

price/sh in and of itself is not important.

IMHO: the BSP is not to be trusted (not without Significant study), but the RP4 is not to be usedwithout a thorough understanding.